The latest 83rd Legislative Session news from The Texas Tribune.
In a decision sure to be appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, state district Judge John Dietz ruled Monday in favor of more than 600 school districts on all of their major claims against the state. Full Story
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State Rep. Lance Gooden says he will carry legislation to make it illegal to use a drone to capture video or photographs of private property without the consent of the property’s owner or occupant. Full Story
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When money was tight two years ago, the state's top budget writers employed cutbacks and accounting tricks to balance the budget. Money is flowing again, but the budget folks are still finding it easy to say no. Full Story
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There will be no pay raise for legislators this year. The Texas Ethics Commission, at the urging of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus, declined to raise the per diem payments lawmakers get when they're in session. Full Story
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The $1.8 billion in tax relief that Gov. Rick Perry called for this week was short on details, but the few that are out there are already sparking questions. Full Story
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Full video of my 1/31 TribLive conversation with state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie. Full Story
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Goodwill Industries hopes to open a charter school in Central Texas to help adults who lack a high school education. But there is an obstacle: The state only provides funding for students under age 26. Full Story
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The governor stayed away from social issues and some obvious hot-button topics in his State of the State speech this week. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a political speech. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, talked about how the school finance litigation affects the debate over public education funding. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, discussed what the state should do about its exploding Medicaid obligations. Full Story
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Some legislators say the practice of diverting funds earmarked for state parks compromises the integrity of the state budget and the quality of parks. Full Story
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At Thursday morning's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, talked about the possibility of withdrawals from the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus announced committee assignments for the Legislature's lower chamber on Thursday, ending speculation over key chairmanships and giving lawmakers the go-ahead to start considering bills. Here's his list. Full Story
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Educators and conservative activists will air their complaints about CSCOPE, the state's curriculum delivery system, at a Senate Education Committee hearing on Thursday led by state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. Full Story
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The beginning, at least for the Texas Senate, came to an end this week. Full Story
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Lawmakers are still in the “fixin’ to” stage of the session taking a week off after a week on the job — not unusual in the years when presidents are being inaugurated — but the wheels are turning. Full Story
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The members of the Texas Senate have been placed in their committees, but where in the state do the committee members come from? Use this interactive to explore the geographic distribution of committee members in the Senate. Full Story
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At a briefing Tuesday, lawmakers and relatives of people killed while texting and driving renewed a push to make the practice illegal. A proposal passed during the last session but was vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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This Storify presentation reveals the instant reactions on social media by legislators, staffers, guests and journalists to Gov. Rick Perry's State of the State address. Full Story
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In his seventh State of the State address, Gov. Rick Perry ignored controversial issues and urged state lawmakers to do the nitty gritty work of government: fund water projects, build more roads and improve education. Full Story